Liberal Senator and potential 2020 presidential hopeful Kamala Harris issued a stark warning to Attorney General Jeff Sessions Thursday; telling the Senior Trump aide that “California represents the future” of the United States, not the past. Harris was speaking with MSNBC News’ Chris Hayes when she scolded Sessions for his remarks in Sacramento Wednesday night; telling a roomful of law enforcement officers that California must obey “federal statutes” regarding immigration guidelines. “This Administration and Jeff Sessions in particular have clearly put a target on the back of California and California’s going to fight,” Harris told Hayes. “And, I think that...

Isn't it hard to believe how a beautiful actress wasn't taken seriously as the genius inventor that she was?Along with digital video and consumer drones — cf. this week’s Leaning into the Wind — one of the greatest boons to documentaries over the past decade has been previously unheard recordings of deceased people, the latest beneficiary being Alexandra Dean’s excellent Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. Tapes of Lamarr from 1990 are among the primary source for exploring her life, which was a prime example of how it’s not always easy being the best at something — and when you’re the...

Bacon’s back on the slab, as the fifth annual Oakland Bacon and Beer Festival is set to sizzle Saturday. e There will be more than six degrees of beer and bacon at this Saturday’s pig-out known as the Oakland Bacon and Beer Festival. A fat lot of caterers, chefs, and microbrew maestros will take over Jack London Square and bring home the bacon for an afternoon of all-you-can-eat, all-you-can drink pig partying. A Who’s-Who of Bay Area baconators like The Gastropig, The GrilledCheezGuy, Crave BBQ, Saucy Oakland and a whole bunch more will be hamming it up with an array...

Back-channel diplomacy is neither new nor illegal. snip Erik Prince, who is close to several members of the Trump administration, set up the back channel with a Russian tied to the Kremlin, the report alleges. Prince reportedly met in Seychelles with the Putin-tied official and a UAE lobbyist to discuss future U.S.-Russia relations. Notably, Prince has never taken a position in the administration. The back-channel allegations are far removed from the original “collusion” allegations put forward by much of the legacy media. Even if it turns out to be true, there does not appear to be anything illegal or unprecedented...

San Francisco police investigating an armed robbery shot and killed a man who was hiding in the trunk of a car where a gun was later found, authorities said Wednesday. The shooting occurred after two people flagged down officers to report the holdup Tuesday night in the Mission district, the police department said in a statement. A short time later, officers pulled over a black Honda Civic matching the description of a vehicle involved in the robbery, and the driver complied when asked to get out, the department said.

A press conference held by the City of Carmel Wednesday detailed the outcome of a sexual harassment investigation into Mayor Steve Dallas, and also revealed a shocking plot against the mayor. Dallas did not sexually harass any of the six women who accused him, however, he is still being reprimanded by the city for "inappropriate and unprofessional" behavior, City Attorney Glen Mozingo announced. Advertisement The investigation was an ugly chapter for the beautiful Carmel By The Sea. Councilwoman Carrie Theis said, "We are asking this community to demonstrate that our village can overcome adversity." Women reported that Dallas made crude,...

The FDA approved the genetic testing company's marketing of a test that reports on 3 of more than 1,000 BRCA breast cancer mutations -- and warns results may not be reliable.The Food and Drug Administration has approved 23andMe's home test to detect three breast cancer mutations most common in people of Eastern European Jewish descent. The decision by the FDA, announced Tuesday, allows the genetics testing company to include these results as part of its $199 Health and Ancestry product. DNA from saliva samples is used to inform customers about their families' countries of origin, along with information on genetic...

An ex-company director has to register as a sex offender for putting his arm around a female friend and kissing her on the shoulder. William Freeman, 58, was talking to the woman about a swarm of wasps she had seen on the roof of a building when he made a pass at her. The woman turned to look up at the nest when Freeman, a former director of Northampton Water Ski Club, put his arm around her, Warwick Crown Court heard. Freeman, who has never even had a parking ticket, then kissed the startled woman on her shoulder, neck and...

So far, these are some of the things posted today on Free Republic that we should all worry about: 1. Global warming drowning San Francisco. 2. A big volcano erupting somewhere. 3. The poles flipping. 4. Global warming starving fish. 5. Giant canaries swooping down and grabbing people. OK, I made the canary one up. What other earth-ending problems did I miss?

They walk like chickens, they cluck like chickens, and they cost $350 a bird. Last week, a viral Washington Post story chronicled the life and times of the Bay Area's well-heeled pet chickens and their luxe digs, calling the birds "the Silicon Valley elite's latest status symbol." "Egg-laying chickens are now a trendy, eco-conscious humblebrag on par with driving a Tesla," the Post reported. The catalogue of surreal luxuries that followed would not be out of place on a reality television show: The Real Chickens of Silicon Valley. One woman, whom the Post dubbed the "chicken whisperer," offers her consultation...

The slug was carrying the rat lungworm, or the roundworm parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Although it is typically carried by rats, it can also infect slugs and snails that eat rat faeces. And people who eat infected snails or slugs that are undercooked can also be infected. When Ballard swallowed the slug, it led to a parasitic infection, causing a serious brain injury and subsequently leaving him paralysed from the neck down.

Axl Rose has hit out at Apple’s Tim Cook on Twitter, describing him as the “Donald Trump of the music industry”. Cook is the current chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple, taking over from Steve Jobs in 2011 after the company’s co-founder resigned. He was previously Apple’s chief operating officer (COO). Guns N’ Roses frontman Rose has now appeared to criticise Cook by tweeting: “Tim Cook is the Donald Trump of the music industry.” Rose’s reasoning is not quite clear. Rose has previously criticised Donald Trump for appointing controversial former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as his Attorney General, later asking...

New research shows the most significant weakening is happening under Africa which has been dubbed the 'South Atlantic Anomaly' (SAA). As well as giving us our north and south poles, the magnetic field blankets the Earth, protecting it from solar winds and cosmic radiation. The forcefield has weakened significantly over the past 160 years and scientists now suggest it could be in the process of flipping. Such a change would be a switch in magnetic polarity and would see compasses point south rather than north. Scientists believe such an occurrence has actually happened several times in the history of our...

The calendar says 2018. Some NFL locker rooms remain trapped in 1960. Running back Derrius Guice said in a Wednesday night appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that a team asked him at the Scouting Combine if he likes men. (PFT separately has confirmed via a source with knowledge of the situation that the question was asked.)

77-year-old woman received stitches and treatments for rabies after a wild otter viciously attacked her while she was kayaking down a Florida river. ... "And then all of a sudden he jumped on the kayak and two seconds later he jumped on me." ...he 77-year-old said her hat was shredded, but added she was fortunate to be wearing a life jacket that protected her back. "By some miracle, I don't have any injuries on the top of my head,"

Then came the month of March, the harbinger of spring. For many in the world this is a month of joy, but for the Serbs it is a painful reminder. In March 1999, NATO's criminal snake unjustly attacked then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The attack on Yugoslavia dealt a criminal blow to the Serbs and Serbia. The incessant genocide All the poison they had and the radioactive bombs NATO brought down on the Serbian villages and cities. They poisoned rivers, fields and meadows. The forests withered from the dumped poison. The number of cancer cases of women, children, men has...

Thursday is International Women’s Day, leading many people across the world — including in Germany — to reflect on women's rights. One big-name store, however, is using the day of women to rebrand itself — and not everyone is happy about it. Rossmann, Germany’s second largest drugstore chain, will exist under a new name for March 8th only: Rossfrau. Rossfrau, a play on the word Frau, meaning “woman” in German, will replace the male-centric name “Rossmann” on their online site as well as at their largest store in Hanover. The one day gender change for Rossmann’s name was announced on...

WASHINGTON — The dispute over Medicaid expansion in Virginia has resulted in failure to reach a budget deal. WTOP has learned that lawmakers in Richmond have failed to reach an agreement on a spending plan due to the disagreement. The legislative session was supposed to end this week. This dispute means either the session will need to be extended, or a special session will be called. The House included Medicaid expansion in its budget, but the Senate did not. That leaves the Senate budget hundreds of millions short of the House spending plan.

Lucasfilm announced this morning that Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau has signed on to executive produce and write a live-action Star Wars series for Disney’s new direct-to-consumer platform. Favreau is a big Star Wars fan having played roles in both the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series and in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story. “I couldn’t be more excited about Jon coming on board to produce and write for the new direct-to-consumer platform,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars...

FLEMING: Why were the Oscar ratings down 19% to the smallest viewership level of all time? I found it a most satisfying show. Jimmy Kimmel and producers Mike De Luca and Jennifer Todd did a fine job all the way to the finish line this time, owning last year’s gaffe and ensuring it didn’t happen with foolproof 100-point type on each envelope. Kimmel was hilarious; the film montages and special presenters infused the 90th Oscars with a sense of film history. Compared to the men-are-bad funereal atmosphere of the Golden Globes, this show was fun but still managed graceful moments...